First of all, what is with the sound at La Vitrola? Who the hell’s in charge around here?! Why weren’t Acid Mothers Temple booked at Theatre Corona or Metropolis, where their dissonant cosmic shredding would have been free to ricochet off the vaulted walls forever?

Other questions I have are: Was it a coincidence that Acid Mothers Temple played during a full moon? And just how much acid were those girls in the front row on? Their eyes were literally rolling in their heads as the band, comprised of obvious wizards, melted neurological pathways into Matrix lines of fuzz.

On a sourer note, I never realized how badly my brain craved melody until I was served up a performance without it. However, I did do a bunch of yoga and read some Carlos Castaneda beforehand instead of getting completely fucked up like the rest of the audience, so maybe that’s why I was a bit more reticent of the sprawling wastelands of noise and incessant shredding.

Just as the band would stumble into a groovy spot, they’d trample chaotically out again, in a blazing fury of guitar explosions.

You know, it’s really too bad that the sound at La Vitrola is such a farce, or I may have stuck out the entire set. As it was, my eardrums felt like they were bleeding, and the head-banger at the soundboard obviously didn’t notice. The bar felt like one big sweaty armpit, and the sound, that could have been totally mind-melding, wound up being crushed.

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I headed off to a private event at Chez Boris next: local art collective Oh Hi’s showcase. Their very first one, I might add, and a huge success.

Surprisingly, if not ironically, these youngsters had just as much pedals and electronic junk as Acid Mothers Temple, yet were doing sound for themselves, therefore controlling and maintaining pristine audio clarity. I guess if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourselves…

Oh Hi is the future of music, if not a microcosm of the future in general: A community that is making middlemen, corporate labels and shitty sound guys totally obsolete. Let’s do that in other communities, yes? Stephen Harper who? Am I right?

Slight is one band that really blew me away. (I’m not going to tell you why. Investigate for yourselves!)

Chez Boris was packed full of genuine kids who loved music, seemed to love each other, and I even got invited back to an after-party (but at this point it was 3AM, and this old man, he ain’t what he used to be).

“The real question is what to live for. And I can't answer it. Except another one of your records. And another chance for me to write."
-Lester Bangs.
Ceilidh Michelle is a musician and writer based out of Montreal. She likes to provoke your thoughts, make music, and challenge anyone who takes life too seriously.